Highlights 5-27-16

Hello families,

This week I began my end-of-the-year literacy assessments. In first and second grade we use classroom observations and data from our assessments in January to decide what we want to check in on for some (not all) students at the end of May/beginning of June. This week and the following weeks I'll be checking in on their progress in spelling, sight words, and reading levels (accuracy, fluency, comprehension).

Today we went to U-32 for the morning and had a fantastic time reading with our 7th grade book buddies. Check out the book they received. It's one of  kind!

Reading our new books with our 7th grade book buddies on the hillside!

Coming home today is the permission slip for the 1/2 End of Year Fun Day at the Shady Rill Picnic Area (which reopened today!). Please return the slip ASAP! Also if you are available to join us, please do! Plentiful parent chaperones are encouraged to spend the day with us!

Permission slips for the all school field day are also coming home today. Next week we'll give you more information about how you can help with the primary picnic spread for this event, too!

Can you believe our class plays are only a week away! You should have received a costume planning sheet your child filled out this week. Please gather the clothes for costumes and send them in by Thursday in a bag labeled with your child's name! Please also continue practicing lines at home. We are practicing during literacy as well as social studies times too, but every bit of practice helps!

This upcoming Tuesday we will be painting the scenery for our plays during art class. Please be sure your child comes to school that day in clothes that would be okay if they got a little painty. We'll wear smocks, of course, but just in case...

*If you ordered a yearbook for your child please send in $14 cash or check (made payable to Rumney PTO) by next Friday June 3rd!

I am submitting the last Scholastic Book Order of this school year this afternoon. Thanks to all who got orders in early and helped grow our classroom library, too!

Have a wonderful weekend,
~Theresa Fox

Dates to Remember:
Monday May 30 -- NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)
Friday June 3rd -- Mrs. Fox's class plays 2pm
Tuesday June 7th -- 4 Winds 2:45-3:20 (Date change! Contact Honi if you can help out!)
Thursday June 9th -- 1/2 end of year fun day at Shady Rill Picnic Area 11:00-3:15 (rain date Tuesday June 14th)
Friday June 10 -- All School Field Day at Wrightsville Reservoir (rain date Monday June 13th)
Wednesday June 15th -- The Last Day of School (1/2 Day) 12:30 dismissal

Highlights on May 20, 2016

Hello friends and families,

This week we finished reading The Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker. We switched back to some read alouds about underwater life (the habitat our class chose to learn about together). These are the books on this topic we read this week: In the Sea by David Elliott, In the Swim by Douglas Florian, Ocean Babies by Deborah Lee Rose, and Ocean Seasons by Ron Hirschi. The first two books in this list were books of poems about ocean animals and freshwater animals. During science time students began writing their own poems about sea animals!

First grade mathematicians are doing numberline work to 120 (crossing over the 100 marker), working on various addition strategies, and practicing giving more evidence for their opinions or strategies during math talks. Second grade mathematicians are working on being excellent story problem detectives. This week we looked especially at story problems that give extra information that is not needed to answer the question as well as multi-step story problems. Here's an example of each (written by a second grader!):
Extra information: Angus had $600.00. He spent $268.00 on an xbox . He plays 62 games on it. How much money does he have left?
Multiple steps: Allie had 48 shopkins. Kiersten had 59. Each girl got 40 more shopkins. How many shopkins do they have altogether?

During writing this week students added headings to their animal topics and also searched their topic paragraphs for juicy words. They worked on putting these words in alphabetical order and defining them in the glossary. We're gearing up for the final steps in the writing process in the next two weeks!

Our class was also very excited to begin play practices this week. On Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays the play casts have 2 blocks of time each to practice with me during literacy. This week we worked on fluency and timing with table readings. We also began to talk about what color clothes they'll need for their costumes. (More on costumes next week!)

We were also lucky enough to have a local author as a guest teacher during Library on Monday. Check out the Rumney newsletter to see a picture with her!

Ben and I are also happy to announce plans for our grades 1/2 end of year fun day! This year we plan to walk down to the Shady Rill picnic area for lunch and an afternoon of fun in the sun, water, and all being together! Plentiful parent chaperones are wanted and needed so let us know if you can join us. The date is set for Thursday June 9th from 11:00-3:15, with a rain date of Tuesday June 14th from 11:00-3:15. We'll send home permission slips for this trip next week.

Dates to Remember:
Thursday May 26th -- Ben's class plays
Friday May 27th -- Book Buddies Field Trip at U-32
Friday May 27th -- Final book orders due
Monday May 30 -- NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)
Friday June 3rd -- Mrs. Fox's class plays 2pm
Tuesday June 7th -- 4 Winds 2:45-3:20 (Date change! Contact Honi if you can help out!)
Thursday June 9th -- 1/2 end of year fun day at Shady Rill Picnic Area 11:00-3:15 (rain date Tuesday June 14th)
Friday June 10 -- All School Field Day at Wrightsville Reservoir (rain date Monday June 13th)
Wednesday June 15th -- The Last Day of School (1/2 Day) 12:30 dismissal

Highlights May 13, 2016

Hello families,

Another fantastic week has flown by. Can you believe we have only 22 school days left?

This week our writers organized their facts into topic paragraphs, added juicy and transitional words, and some even started copying them over into a second draft! We also chose plays this week and on Thursday scripts went home. These can stay at home for practice. Depending on the play your child chose there are few or many lines to learn to read fluently or hopefully memorize to recite fluently and with expression. Play casts will begin practicing with me during literacy next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. If you could also look through it with your child to see what (if any) support they need for practicing at home too, that would be great!

Second grade mathematicians are consolidating all of their knowledge about adding, subtracting, and solving story problems. They are reviewing some money work we did earlier this year too. First grade mathematicians are continuing number line work and mastering addition strategies.

Today was our trip to the Flynn Theater to see "Henry and Mudge." Thanks to the PTO who funds this incredible opportunity for each class once each year!!! We took advantage of our school spirit fancy dress day to also dress up for the theater. I think we all clean up pretty nicely!

I'm still waiting for a few field trip slips for our upcoming field trip to U-32 for the 7th grade book buddies event. At the field trip each of our students in first and second grade will be paired up with a 7th grader at U-32 who wrote, illustrated, and published a children's book to give to them! It's a very fun day and one to remember. Please return the slip next week if you haven't yet!

Please also remember the Rumney spring footwear policy. Students need to have sneakers or sandals that stay on their feet for P.E. and recess (i.e. not flip flops). Mr. Rosen says flip flops are okay for indoor shoes as long as they have secure footwear for recess and P.E. Thanks for your help in making sure your child is ready for each day's activities!

Finally, I forgot to mention that on Friday I sent home our last book order forms for this school year. If you'd like to order books for the summer, please submit orders online or by returning the slip and a check for Scholastic back to me at school by Friday May 27th.

Have a wonderful weekend!
~Theresa

Dates to Remember:
Thursday May 19th -- All School Meeting 2:30 (Primary Singers performing!)
Thursday May 26th -- Ben's class plays
Friday May 27th -- Book Buddies Field Trip at U-32
Friday May 27th -- Final book orders due
Monday May 30 -- NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)
Friday June 3rd -- Mrs. Fox's class plays 2pm
**Tuesday June 7th -- 4 Winds 2:45-3:20 (Date change! Contact Honi if you can help out!)
Wednesday June 15th -- The Last Day of School (1/2 Day) 12:30 dismissal

Highlights on a Beautiful Friday

Hello everyone!


Ms. Elizabeth and Mrs. Joslyn were the dream team in our room on Monday and Tuesday. They will continue to run the show in 1/2 Fox on those days while I am out. I got great reviews from both teachers about how supportive, kind, and cooperative all our students were. Hooray!!!


This week everyone in our class has been reading books from the Henry and Mudge series by Cynthia Rylant. Next Friday we'll be going to the Flynn Theater in Burlington to see a play based on 3 Henry and Mudge books: "The First Book," "Sneaky Crackers," and "Careful Cousin." Just a reminder, Ben and I only had 3 parent chaperone tickets available so the parents joining us will be Charis Churchill, Aimee Sumner, and Kyle Landis-Marinello. Also, these are the students who are signed up for a bag lunch from school: Anes, Chloe, Emilyn, Kiersten, Lilly, Meriah, Myles, Tanner. If you didn't sign up on the permission slip and need a bag lunch for Friday please let me know by Wednesday so I can tell our wonderful cooks, Deb and Sabrina!


We have all the permission slips back for this first field trip--thanks! On Thursday Ben and I also sent home permission slips for our next field trip to U-32 for the 7th grade book buddies event on Friday May 27th. We don't need additional chaperones for this event. For this trip we'll be gone just for the morning and be back at school for recess and lunchtime. =) Please send back this permission slip next week!


This week students began cutting out and organizing their color-coded notefacts into topic paragraphs. Each author tries to organize their facts into an order that sounds good. We talked about "smooth" transitions vs. "choppy" transitions. While we organize we're also editing--changing or adding words to help our writing sound smooth, like the water when sailing on a sunny, blue bird day. We will continue this work all next week, too!


Second grade mathematicians are doing some money skills review work and continue to practice various strategies for "efficient subtraction." This week most students worked on using expanded form as a strategy to demonstrate understanding while subtracting using the vertical algorithm. Other students are using "thinking strategies" about place value and showing their work in a way that will be very familiar to you! First grade mathematicians continue learning various addition strategies, having math talks, and completing number line work.

With the warmer weather it's time to talk about spring footwear. It is Rumney policy that students have sneakers or sandals that stay on their feet for P.E. and recess (i.e. not flip flops). Mr. Rosen says flip flops are okay for indoor shoes as long as they have secure footwear for recess and P.E. Thanks for your help in making sure your child is ready for each day's activities!


This has been a wonderful week and I hope you have a great weekend. Happy Mother's Day!

~Theresa